HIV Testing Outcomes Following Implementation of a Community-level HIV Stigma and Homophobia Prevention Intervention in an Urban Neighborhood in the United States

Purpose: Challenge HIV Stigma and Homophobia and Gain Empowerment (CHHANGE) was a community-level (Central Brooklyn) intervention designed to reduce HIV stigma and homophobia, thus increasing access to HIV testing and... [ view full abstract ]

Purpose: Challenge HIV Stigma and Homophobia and Gain Empowerment (CHHANGE) was a community-level (Central Brooklyn) intervention designed to reduce HIV stigma and homophobia, thus increasing access to HIV testing and prevention services. CHHANGE had three components (intensive workshops/trainings; pop-up events; and a bus shelter ad campaign) and was conducted by the New York Blood Center (NYBC), Gay Men of African Decent (GMAD) and Bridging Access to Care (BAtC).
Methods: To evaluate the intervention, two waves of anonymous, brief (5-minute), street-intercept surveys were conducted by trained interviewers, in June of 2014 and 2015, on randomly selected blocks in both the intervention and control neighborhoods. Pre- and post-intervention HIV testing data is described and associations among exposure to intervention elements, HIV stigma, homophobia and past-6 month HIV testing were assessed in logistic regression models.
Results: Results revealed that the number of tests conducted by BMK’s focal neighborhood storefront increased by approximately 350%, from 45 to 156 clients, in the quarter after the intervention as compared with the quarter prior to the intervention. Logistic regression models of past 6-month HIV testing revealed that among follow-up survey participants, attending an anti-HIV stigma workshop, reporting contact with HIV+ people and lower HIV stigma scores were significantly associated with recent HIV testing, controlling for sociodemographic factors and neighborhood of residence.
Conclusions: Exposure to key components of the CHHANGE intervention were significantly associated with self-reported recent HIV testing among both intervention and control neighborhood residents post-intervention. HIV testing increased significantly at the BAtC storefront testing site in the intervention neighborhood, after the CHHANGE intervention. Together, these results suggest that reducing HIV stigma through targeted and strategic neighborhood-based outreach and education and increasing contact with people living with HIV may act to increase access to HIV prevention, testing and treatment services.